Who receives what benefits?

When leaving comPlan, the amount paid out on departure corresponds to your personal pension capital. This includes extraordinary contributions credited to your pension capital before switching pension funds. The pension capital is compared to the minimum pension capital pursuant to both the Swiss Company Pensions Act (BVG) and the Swiss Federal Law on Vesting for Occupational Retirement, Survivors’ and Disability Insurance (FZG) at the time of departure. The largest of these three amounts is paid out to you as a vested benefit rights adjustment. You can view the current status of your pension capital in your pension summary at comPlan Online. 

Find out more about Leaving

When starting a new job, let us know the bank details for your new employer's pension provider as soon as possible so that we can transfer your departure payment. Your capital will be transferred within 30 days of your departure/notification. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria for your new employer’s pension fund we will transfer your pension capital to an account or a vested benefits foundation policy. 

Find out more about Leaving

If you do not have a new employer or you do not meet the eligibility criteria for your new employer’s pension fund, we will transfer your departure payment to an account or a vested benefits foundation policy. You may split your capital between two vested benefits foundations if you wish. Please provide us with the bank details of the relevant foundations as soon as possible. Your capital will be transferred within 30 days of your departure/notification.

Find out more about Leaving

If you go self-employed as a sole trader or partnership after leaving you are no longer subject to mandatory statutory company pension provision. In this case we will transfer your pension capital to a vested benefits foundation policy.

You also have the option of having your credit paid out in cash. If you are married or living in a civil partnership then your spouse or partner must co-sign the application with certification from a notary. The cash payment must be taxed as a capital gain.

Purchases made in the three years prior to the cash payment may not be taken out as a lump sum (three-year vesting period). We will still pay the remaining departure benefit (less purchases made in the last three years plus interest), but purchases made in the last three years must be retroactively taxed as income.

For the cash payment of your pension capital you must submit the final decision of the AHV compensation fund as proof that you are principally self-employed as well as an extract from the commercial register in addition to your application.

You can view the current status of your pension capital in your pension summary at comPlan Online. Your capital will be transferred within 30 days of your departure/receiving all necessary documents.

If you establish a stock corporation or limited liability company, you are still subject to mandatory, statutory company pension provision and your credit cannot be paid out in cash.

Find out more about Leaving

If you definitively transfer your place of residence to another country, you may choose whether we transfer your pension capital to an account or vested benefits foundation policy or pay it out in cash. You cannot take out the mandatory portion of your pension capital, however, if you are relocating to the EU or an EFTA member state. We will transfer this amount to an account or vested benefits foundation policy of your choice. You can view the current status of your pension capital and the amount of the mandatory portion (BVG pension capital) in your pension summary at comPlan Online.

If you wish to have your pension capital paid out in cash we will need the definitive deregistration form from the last Swiss municipality where you lived in addition to your application as well as the official confirmation of residence of the new domicile abroad. If you are not a Swiss national we will need a copy of the annulled residence permit. For a cash withdrawal your spouse or civil partner will also need to co-sign the application with certification from a notary. 

The payment of the vested benefits rights adjustment incurs withholding tax. Purchases made in the three years prior to the cash payment may also not be taken out as a lump sum (three-year vesting period). We will still pay the remaining departure benefit (less purchases made in the last three years plus interest), but purchases made in the last three years must be retroactively taxed as income.

Your capital will be transferred within 30 days of your departure/receiving all necessary documents/the date of deregistration.

Find out more about Leaving

If you were only insured with comPlan for a short time your departure payment may be less than the sum of your annual employee contributions. In such a case of “insufficient assets” you may apply for your capital to be paid out in cash. Your spouse or civil partner will also need to co-sign the application with certification from a notary. The cash payment must be taxed as a capital withdrawal if it amounts to CHF 5,000 or more. You can view the current status of your pension capital and the annual contributions at comPlan Online.

Find out more about Leaving

With comPlan, men and women can retire between the ages of 58 and 65. The capital you have saved is generally paid out in the form of a life-long annuity. The amount of your pension is calculated on the basis of the amount you have saved and the conversion rate valid for your age at the time you retire.

Conversion rate: Percentage rate at which pension capital is converted into annuities. The rates depend on the member’s age at retirement. Only full years of life and the starts of the calendar years are shown. The conversion rates are calculated for each month, however.

The conversion rate is calculated exactly to the month. You can view your pension capital and the projected amount of your pension at comPlan Online.

Find out more about Retirement

When you retire you will receive a retirement-linked children’s pension amounting to 20% of the statutory minimum pursuant to the BVG for each of your children provided at least one of the following criteria are met: 

• The child is not yet 18 years old

• The child is undergoing training and not yet 25 years old

• The child has a disability of at least 70% and is not yet 25 years old
  

In the event of a capital withdrawal the retirement-linked children's pension is reduced by the amount of the capital withdrawal. You can view the projected amount of a retirement-linked children’s pension at comPlan Online.

Find out more about Retirement

When you retire you can have some or all of your pension capital paid out in cash. If you choose to have all of your pension capital paid out in cash you will no longer have any entitlement to any further benefits from us from the time you retire. This means that any retirement-linked children’s pensions or survivors’ pensions in the event of death are forfeited. If you only withdraw a partial amount, your capital and the pension benefits calculated on the basis thereof will be reduced accordingly. The capital withdrawal will be taxed separately from your income using a reduced capital tax rate.

In order to process a capital withdrawal we require a written application at least one month prior to your retirement. If you are married or living in a registered partnership then your partner must co-sign the application with certification from a notary. Changes to the submitted application may be made up to one month prior to your retirement and must also be co-signed by your partner (with certification from a notary).

Purchases made in the three years prior to the withdrawal may not be taken out as a lump sum for three years (three-year vesting period). We will still pay the remaining departure benefit (less purchases made in the last three years plus interest), but purchases made in the last three years must be retroactively taxed as income.

Find out more about Retirement

If you retire before reaching the AHV pensionable age (65 for men, 64 for women), you will receive a bridging pension to compensate for the temporary loss of income. Your employer will provide an amount for this purpose depending on when you retire, how long you worked for the company and the degree of employment.

The bridging pension is calculated as follows provided the beneficiary spent at least ten years working for the company: CHF 80,100 multiplied by the degree of employment and divided by the number of months until ordinary AHV pensionable age is reached. This monthly pension payment does however correspond to no more than the maximum AHV old-age pension adjusted for the degree of employment. The amount is reduced proportionately if you have been working for the company for less than ten years. You can view the amount of the bridging pension at comPlan Online.

Entitlement to a bridging pension is not affected by whether the employment contract was terminated by you or your employer. If your bridging pension is lower than the maximum AHV old-age pension adjusted for the degree of employment, you may increase it to the maximum on a voluntary basis. This reduces your life-long pension, however.

Find out more about Retirement

If you agree with your employer to extend your employment contract beyond the reference age (65), you can choose to defer your pension. By choosing this option, you are postponing your retirement until the definitive termination of your employment contract - up to the age of 70 at the latest.

When you defer your pension, you can choose whether you want to continue paying contributions in your previously selected savings variant or whether you no longer want to pay contributions. In this case, your existing savings capital will continue to earn interest. It is no longer possible to change the savings variant during the pension deferral. However, you can always decide to stop paying contributions. Once you have decided to stop paying contributions, it is no longer possible to pay contributions again at a later date.

Your existing retirement capital continues to earn interest during this period. You are free to choose your retirement - with pension or lump-sum withdrawal - at any time. The conversion rate will increase continuously. You must choose your definitive retirement at the latest when your employment contract ends. The limit is 70 years of age.

 Find out more about Retirement

From the age of 58 you can also retire gradually, i.e. work with a reduced degree of employment while also receiving some of your old-age benefits. Your pension capital and the bridging pension will be distributed proportionately between your partial retirement and your continued employment. You may receive your prorated benefits as capital or in the form of a life-long pension in connection with your early retirement. You and your employer continue to pay contributions for the portion relating to your continued employment, but based on the new, reduced degree of employment and the correspondingly adjusted salary. You can calculate the amount of your old-age benefits in the event of partial retirement yourself at comPlan Online. If you reduce your degree of employment after the age of 58 without taking some of your old-age benefits, your entitlement to a bridging pension will be reduced proportionately. 

Find out more about Retirement

Every year we assess whether ongoing old-age, survivors’ or disability pensions should be adjusted for inflation. Whether or not such an adjustment is made depends on comPlan's financial possibilities. Pension increases can however only be carried out if the value fluctuation reserves have met their target. The findings of the inflation adjustment assessment carried out by the Board of Trustees are published in the financial report each year. Since our pensions generally exceed the statutory minimum by a significant amount, the statutory adjustments to the BVG survivors’ and disability pensions by the Federal Council are of little relevance to comPlan.

Payment dates for retirement pensions and retirement-linked children's pensions in 2023/2024

• Friday 15 December 2023
• Monday 15 January 2024
• Thursday 15 February 2024
• Friday 15 March 2024
• Monday 15 April 2024
• Wednesday 15 May 2024
• Friday 14 June 2024
• Monday 15 July 2024
• Thursday 15 August 2024
• Friday 13 September 2024
• Tuesday 15 October 2024
• Friday 15 November 2024
• Friday 13 December 2024

If you become disabled as the result of an illness or accident, you will receive an annual disability pension amounting to 50% of your insured salary upon becoming disabled in addition to the pension paid out in accordance with the Swiss Federal Disability Insurance Act (IV). This requires you to have been insured with comPlan at the time you became incapable of working, which resulted in your disability. You are entitled to the entire disability pension if your degree of disability is 70% or more. If your degree of disability is between 25% and 69%, your disability pension will be paid out based on the degree of disability in accordance with IV. Your disability pension can also be reduced if the total of all pensions in the event of disability combined with other qualifying sources of income (e.g. IV and UVG pensions) exceeds 90% of the most recent annual salary before becoming disabled.

We require a legally valid IV assessment in order to assess your entitlement to a disability pension and determine its amount. Your disability pension starts when you qualify for the IV pension, but no earlier than when you lose your entitlement to your salary or accident/daily nursing benefits. This is generally the case for Swisscom employees after 24 months of illness. Your disability pension will be paid out until you reach the age of 65 at the latest. You will then qualify for a disability old-age pension.

Find out more about Disability

You will receive a disabled person's child's pension amounting to 20% of your disability pension for each of your children provided at least one of the following criteria is met:

• The child is not yet 18 years old

• The child is undergoing training and not yet 25 years old

• The child has a disability of at least 70% and is not yet 25 years old

Find out more about Disability

In the event of disability we will continue the pension saving process for you but you no longer need to make any contributions of your own. comPlan will credit the standard savings variant contributions to you from the time that you receive the IV pension. When you reach the age of 65 your disability pension will be converted into a life-long retirement pension. This will be calculated on the basis of the amount of capital saved and the applicable conversion rate.A possible vested rights supplement is added to this. You can however choose to withdraw some or all of your pension capital instead of receiving a retirement pension. In the event of partial withdrawal your pension will be adjusted proportionately. This also applies to the possible vested rights supplement.

Find out more about Disability

In the event of disability we will continue the pension saving process for you but you will be exempt from making any contributions of your own. comPlan will credit the standard savings variant contributions to you from the time that you receive the IV pension. When you reach the age of 65 you may convert your disability pension into a life-long pension or withdraw dome or all of your pension capital as a lump sum.

If you choose to have all of your pension capital paid out in cash you will no longer have any entitlement to any further benefits from us from the time you retire. This means that any retirement-linked children’s pensions or survivors’ pensions in the event of death are forfeited. If you only withdraw a partial amount, your capital and the pension benefits calculated on the basis thereof will be reduced accordingly. The capital withdrawal will be taxed separately from your income using a reduced capital tax rate.

In order to process a capital withdrawal we require a written application at least one month prior to your retirement. If you are married or living in a registered partnership then your partner must co-sign the application with certification from a notary. Changes to the submitted application may be made up to one month prior to your retirement and must also be co-signed by your partner (with certification from a notary).

Find out more about Disability

If the Swiss Federal Disability Insurance assessment is delayed, you are entitled to an IV advance payment provided the following criteria are met:

• You have been unable to work for at least twelve months

• Your employment has not been terminated within those twelve months

• You registered for an IV pension at least six months ago

• You have lost your entitlement to your salary or the daily benefits from IV, unemployment, sickness, accident or military insurance have ended

The amount of the full IV advance payment corresponds to 50% of the insured salary upon the presumed occurrence of disability plus the maximum IV pension. The IV advance payment is reduced accordingly in the event of partial incapacity and part-time work.

Payment of the IV advance payment ends:

• Upon entry into force of the Swiss Federal Disability Insurance assessment (IV)

• Upon the withdrawal of the IV application

• If the member becomes able to work again

• Upon reaching retirement age

• In the event of death
  

The IV advance payment is offset against the retroactive pensions of the pension provider as well as Swiss Federal Disability Insurance.

Find out more about Disability

Every year we assess whether ongoing old-age, survivors’ or disability pensions should be adjusted for inflation. Whether or not such an adjustment is made depends on comPlan's financial possibilities. Pension increases can however only be carried out if the value fluctuation reserves have met their target. The findings of the inflation adjustment assessment carried out by the Board of Trustees are published in the financial report each year. Since our pensions generally exceed the statutory minimum by a significant amount, the statutory adjustments to the BVG survivors’ and disability pensions by the Federal Council are of little relevance to comPlan.

Payment dates for disability pensions, disability-linked children's pensions and disability old-age pensions in 2023/2024

• Friday 15 December 2023
• Monday 15 January 2024
• Thursday 15 February 2024
• Friday 15 March 2024
• Monday 15 April 2024
• Wednesday 15 May 2024
• Friday 14 June 2024
• Monday 15 July 2024
• Thursday 15 August 2024
• Friday 13 September 2024
• Tuesday 15 October 2024
• Friday 15 November 2024
• Friday 13 December 2024

If you die in gainful employment, your spouse or civil partner will receive a life-long pension amounting to 35% of your insured salary. For recipients of old-age or disability pensions the amount is 60% of the ongoing pension. This pension may be reduced in the event of death before the age of 65, however, if the total of all survivors’ pensions and other qualifying sources of income (e.g. AHV and UVG pensions) exceeds 90% of the most recent annual salary. Any ongoing bridging pensions shall be forfeited in the event of death.

Your spouse or civil partner will receive a life-long spouse’s pension provided at least one of the following criteria is met:

• He/she supports one or more children

• He/she is at least 40 years old, and was married to you for at least five years

• He/she is at least 40 years old, and lived with you in the same household (with the same official place of residence) for five uninterrupted years and you have submitted the support agreement to us
  

If he/she does not meet any of these criteria, a single settlement amounting to three years of pension payments shall be paid out. In the event of remarriage the entitlement to a spouse’s pension is forfeited.

Find out more about Benefits in case of death

If you die in gainful employment, your partner will receive a life-long pension amounting to 35% of your insured salary. For recipients of old-age or disability pensions the amount is 60% of the ongoing pension. This pension may be reduced in the event of death before the age of 65, however, if the total of all survivors’ pensions and other qualifying sources of income exceeds 90% of the most recent annual salary. Any ongoing bridging pensions shall be forfeited in the event of death.

Your life partner will receive a life-long survivor’s pension if one of the following criteria is met:

• He/she is financially responsible for one or more common children.

• He/she is at least 40 years oed wih you in the same household (with the same oicial place of. 

The following criteria must also be met:

• You submitted the support agreement for your life partner to us prior to your death and prior to your retirement.

• You moved in together prior to your retirement (same official place of residence).

• You are both unmarried at the time of your death.

• Your partner does not receive any spouse’s or partner’s pension from another pension fund.

Find out more about Benefits in case of death

Your spouse or civil partner is entitled to a lump sum payable on death if he/she meets the criteria for a spouse’s pension. This capital amounts to 100% of the last insured salary plus the additional savings contributions for savings options Plus and Extra, buy-ins and buy-outs for early retirement with comPlan minus divorce and advance withdrawals with comPlan. The lump sum payable on death covers the additional financial costs incurred immediately after your death.

If your spouse or civil partner does not meet the criteria for the spouse’s pension then he/she will receive a single settlement payment equivalent to three years of pension payments. If you support your partner to a significant degree then you may grant them an additional lump sum payable on death in addition to this settlement. This amounts to 100% of the last insured salary plus the additional savings contributions for savings options Plus and Extra, buy-ins and buy-outs for early retirement with comPlan minus divorce and advance withdrawals with comPlan. In order to do this you must submit the corresponding beneficiary declaration.

Find out more about Benefits in case of death

If you are living in a common law partnership then you may grant your partner a lump sum payable on death in addition to your pension. This lump sum payable on death amounts to 100% of the last insured salary plus the additional savings contributions for savings options Plus and Extra, buy-ins and buy-outs for early retirement with comPlan minus divorce and advance withdrawals with comPlan. The lump sum payable on death covers the additional financial costs incurred immediately after your death.

Your partner is only entitled to the lump sum payable on death if he/she also meets the criteria for the partner's pension, and you have named him/her as the beneficiary for both the pension and the lump sum payable on death in the support agreement.

If you support anyone to a significant degree then you may grant those people a lump sum payable on death. In order to do this you must complete the corresponding beneficiary declaration and the significant support must be demonstrable in the event of death.

In the absence of a partner as beneficiary or people who you support to a significant degree the lump sum payable on death will be divided equally among all of your children, your parents if there are no children or your siblings if there are no parents. If you do not wish your children, parents or siblings to benefit from the lump sum payable on death in the designated order or in equal part you may change the order of beneficiaries using a form.

The lump sum payable on death for children eligible for an orphan's pension (please also refer to the section on orphan’s pensions) amounts to 100% of the last insured salary plus the additional savings contributions for savings options Plus and Extra, buy-ins and buy-outs for early retirement with comPlan minus divorce and advance withdrawals with comPlan. If none of the children are entitled to an orphan's pension or the lump sum payable on death goes to your parents or siblings, the additional savings contributions for savings options Plus and Extra, buy-ins and buy-outs for early retirement with comPlan minus divorce and advance withdrawals with comPlan are dispensed.

Pensioners’ survivors do not receive any lump sum payable on death.

Find out more about Benefits in case of death

In the event of your death your children receive an orphan’s pension amounting to 10% of the insured salary or 20% of your old-age or disability pension provided they meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The child is not yet 18 years old

• The child is undergoing training and not yet 25 years old

• The child has a disability of at least 70% and is not yet 25 years old

Complete orphans receive double the amount.

Find out more about Benefits in case of death

Every year we assess whether ongoing old-age, survivors’ or disability pensions should be adjusted for inflation. Whether or not such an adjustment is made depends on comPlan's financial possibilities. Pension increases can however only be carried out if the value fluctuation reserves have met their target. The findings of the inflation adjustment assessment carried out by the Board of Trustees are published in the financial report each year. Since our pensions generally exceed the statutory minimum by a significant amount, the statutory adjustments to the BVG survivors’ and disability pensions by the Federal Council are of little relevance to comPlan.

Payment dates for spouse's pensions, orphan's pension and partner's pensions in 2023/2024

• Friday 15 December 2023
• Monday 15 January 2024
• Thursday 15 February 2024
• Friday 15 March 2024
• Monday 15 April 2024
• Wednesday 15 May 2024
• Friday 14 June 2024
• Monday 15 July 2024
• Thursday 15 August 2024
• Friday 13 September 2024
• Tuesday 15 October 2024
• Friday 15 November 2024
• Friday 13 December 2024